The world around us
by theoceaninside
Summary: When the world around you crumbles what choices do you make? Mainly Rachel and Bruce, but also Harvey D, Joker and perhaps Selina
1. Slipping In Blood

**AN - Right, I'm basically shitting out stories at the minute, so yeah. Idk how long this will be, I'm just going to go with the flow for this one, yay. Okay, anyone who knows me will know I'm one of the biggest Batman nerds ever, so you know, I'll try.**

"Bruce ..." I sigh and stroke his cheek, his strong jaw is tense from concentrating, I cannot fault him for that. With Gotham in uproar there's only so much he can ignore. "Rachel, please." He gets up to look at me, his normally cold, loveless eyes soften as he sees me, and that? That breaks my heart. "I need to do this, you don't understand I-" He begins to explain one of his long winding lectures about how Gotham needs Batman, but in my opinion all Batman has done is ruin this city. And Bruce. "No, I don't understand, and I'm not going to try. Just leave Gotham as it is Bruce, please." I feel my voice begin to rise in pitch and I silently curse myself for it. His eyes twinkle with sadness and he strokes a strand of hair from my face. "Rachel, Rachel, Rachel ..." He smiles gently and rests his forehead against mine. "If only you could understand the pain I'm put through." He kisses my nose gently and leaves for his study.

"Miss Dawes?" I reconise the familliar british dialect and I smile gently to myself and turn to face him. "Alfred?" I've always been fond of Alfred. He's known me since I was a little girl, the same as Bruce, and he really stepped up to look after Bruce when his parents says I brouht him out of himself. We were only nine when it happened, but according to Alfred we were the closest of friends and me visiting everyday helped him slowly remember what life was like before the cold hands of depression curled itself around his life. "A Mr. Harvey Dent would like to speak to you, he's at the door ma'am." He smiles gently and disappears after Bruce. "Call me Rachel, Alfred!" I call after him and smile gently to myself, knowing he won't listen. I continue on to the doorway and see Harvey Dent, my beautiful Harvey Dent. "You weren't at the court trial today?" He leans against his doorframe and mockingly pouts at me. "No, Harvey I wasn't. I was too busy sorting out various mafia's that are after your head." I smile pleasently, pick up my coat from the hook and call my goodbyes to Alfred and Bruce. I get only a response from Alfred.

"You know, I may be one of the best district attorney's the world has ever seen my dear Rachel." Harvey gloats, as he walks effortlessly across the thin layer of ice that has covered the ground. I, however, am not as succesful. I slip and slide as I try to give a witty retort to my boyfriend, but even if I did manage to release the words from my mouth he wouldn't have heard them due to the sound of his own roaring laughter at the feeble woman skidding across the ice whilst trying to look sophisticated and glam. "Rach, baby, stop it." He takes my arm and I see a thin line of genuine concern cross his face. This is what I love about Harvey Dent. He can act all childish and as if he hasn't a care in the world, but deep down he cares a lot, but fights with everything he has to show me. "Yeah, yeah." I roll my eyes and flick my hair dramatically as I walk on, I don't reject his arm that keeps me up. "So, it's Christmas soon, Rachel." He raises an eyebrow at me, stops walking and turns to look at me, the line of underlying emotions is on his forehead again. "Yes, Harvey, it is." I raise an eyebrow and fold my arms slightly as I look at the glittering snow flakes that begin to shimmy from the grey and white sky above us. "So, I would like to ask you something, Miss Dawes." He smiles gently, is that ... Nervousness I detect? "Yes Mr Dent?" I giggle childishly, but it stops the instant he drops to one knee and opens a box that holds the most beautiful ring I have ever seen in my life. "Miss Rachel Dawes, would you do me the utmost honour of becoming Mrs Harvey Dent?" He smiles again, the nerves show and it is genuinely the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. _Other than Bruce saving your life and almost letting the city pay for it ..._ Oh shut up brain. I can hardly speak so all I can do is nod and mumble 'y' over and over. He picks me up and spins me round, and I think, out of the corner of my eye, I see the sweepof a familliar black cape.

"R-r-r-r-resdients of Gotham." The 'r' is rolled irritatingly and the voice is low and gruff, as if the man needs to cough. It's infuriatiing. "You all know of the great caped crusader do you not? Well, I offer a challenge to you, _Batman._" For some reason the way he says Batman chills me. He says that one word with such ... _Disgust_ it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and gives my skin gooseflesh. "Would you like to hear my challenge my dear dark knight, well, would you?! I'm sure if you don't the _lovely_ residents of Gotham here would." There's a high pitched laugh which sends bile rising to my mouth and it takes everything I have not to let the bitter liquid pool around me. "For everyday you do not take of that _ridiculous_ cowl I shall kill a resident of your beloed city, how does that sound, hm?" There's that laugh again ... I clench my teeth tightly. "I dare you Bats, I _dare_ you!" The laugh reaches a radical pitch and the sound stops. And then the screaming starts.

"Rachel! Rachel run! Go!" As the world around me slows, Harvey's voice is the only thing that makes sense. "Rachel come on! We've got to go!" I watch him grab my hand and then I'm being dragged through the mass of screaming people, and the world speeds up again. Harvey darts us in between people, and somehow the layer of ice beneath me doesn't make me slip or slide. He shoves me into a car and I can relax slightly, but then I see him racing back through the swarms of people, and I go to scream, punch the windows. "Miss Dawes, Mr Wayne would appreciate it if you didn't smash the windows of his new car." I frown slightly, Alfred? I turn to face him, tear tracks are still visible on my face. "I ... Isn't Bruce fighting?" I say quietly and Alfred nods gravely, I know he hates Bruce being Batman just as much as I do. "Searching that lunatic threatening the city." He sighs gently and begins to drive. "Wait, Alfred, what about Harvey?" My eyes widen and I turn around, trying to find him through the crowds, but to no avail. "Don't worry Miss Dawes, he's asked me to take you back to Wayne Manor, I'm sure Bruce would like to keep you near, also." He smiles gently, and I guess he knows our situation, I never meant to hurt Bruce, but ... How do I make us both happy? Obviously I shouldn't lead him on like I do, and the fine line that is marked friendship and romance has slowly merged into one for Bruce.

In what seems like years later, Harvey and Bruce walk through the front door together, and, to my surprise, neither of them are hurt. I stand up instantly and hug Harvey, and then hug Bruce. "What happened?" I look between them, they grimace at the same time and look at me. "You won't like it Rach." Says Harvey as he strokes a lock of hair behind my ear. "I don't care whether or not I'll like it, just tell me ...!" I look worriedly between the two of them, Bruce shows no emotion. "Gotham is under lock down."


	2. Masking The Truth

**AN - Right, just 'cause I got a lovely review for the last chapter I thought I'd update now, obviously these chapters will be longer as the first chapter was a touch and go thing :)**

"Under _lockdown?"_ I answer, as I take in the fresh information I have just been told. "What do you mean _lockdown?" _I put my hands on my hips, a look both men are familliar with. "No one goes in, no one goes out Rach." The voice belongs to Harvey as he pulls me into an embrace. An embrace I don't want and struggle against, I swear I see Alfred and Bruce exchange smug glances. "I told you that you wouldn't like it Rachel." Says Bruce, his voice is sombre. I go to respond, but realise that Harvey doesn't know that Bruce is Batman, though I'm incredibly tempted to scream at Bruce it's his fault for being Batman, because it is. Now all these people are going to die because of Bruce's actions. It's always Bruce's actions.

After a while they finally manage to calm me down and sit me on the sofa with a cup of coffee. "So ... What was all the screaming about?" I say in a tone that tries to give off that I'm not actually that interested, but obviously my face betrays that tone. "Scarecrow's fear gas." Grimaces Harvey. I've only ever had that toxin in my body once and if I'm quite frank, I did not enjoy it. Not one bit, but then again, who would? Maybe Bruce, perhaps he'd see it as a challenge? I'm brought out of my revive by Bruce as he notices the gleaming rock on my wedding finger. "What's that?" He swallows back obvious pain, and when I look up his mouth is pressed into a fine line and there's the unmistakable gleam of betrayel and hurt in his eyes, "Oh, I ... Well Harvey ... Just before the madness." I begin, not quite sure how to begin the long monologue that will eventually crush my best friend. "I proposed." Says Harvey bluntly (which I silently curse him for). "Oh." Says Bruce, forcing a placid smile onto his face. "Congratualtions to the both of you. If you'd excuse me I have important business to attend to, with us not being able to leave Gotham and nobody being able to get in, I hope you understand." He nods once at Harvey, completely ignores me and disappears upstairs to his study.

The car ride home is not a pleasent one. "I don't get why you got so mad at me Rach." Rambles Harvey as he drives, he keeps looking back at me with concern though, which does soften my mood slightly. "You shouldn't have sent me home like that Harvey." I swallow and look over at him, the rain begisn to beat down against the windows, leaving natural tear tracks on the window as they begin to race eachother to the bottom of the window. "I'm in the same business as you, I deserve to know what happens around us too." I sigh and slump back in my chair, I don't want an argument, but I don't want him to constantly think that I need evacuation everytime something bursts out from the dark shadows of Gotham, which it often does. "I just worry, babe." He sighs slightly too and the conversation continues no more. As we get back home he turns on the local news to see Batman swinging around the streets of Gotham in pursuit of a few thugs dressed as clowns. "Do we know who this weirdo is?" I ask, raising an eyebrow as I sit down on my favourite armchair, Harvey silences me and points to the tv, and the sight I see is one I shall never forget. The only word that springs to mind is Grotesque. His face is a pale white, whiter than snow, but his face is marred but vivid scars that criss-cross along his face, and bright red lipstick etches an artificial smile, his hair is a blond - no, wait a green when he steps into the light and he wears a crumpled, but expensive purple suit that shimmers it's metallic colour in the light too. He likes to work with lighting, I imagine. "Gotham." I've also noticed he drags out words, he's fond on pronounciation. "I promised you earlier today that if, my dear friend Batman did not take off the mask a member of this ... _Excuse_ for a city shall die. Well my friends, _this_ is the result!" the manic laughter ensues and a chill is sent racking up my spine. "Enjoy." He drags out the 'y' and his voice is a low growl and his mouth twitches as he says it. Not once, I notice, losing his smirk. the footage switches to a video of a woman being thrown through a window, but what could anyone do on such short notice. _Certainly Batman can't save her._ I'm disgusted by my lack of compassion to this poor woman who has just been thrown like a ragdoll to her death. I guess this is what problem dwelling does to the innocent.

Three days pass, and, like the Joker promised, people die. I decide that really, there is no other option than to talk to Bruce, I mean, if he really loves Gotham why doesn't he just protect his people and take off the mask? No one is really going to judge him for it, are they? I decide to walk to Bruce's, remembering the walk I used to do with my mother when she worked and Bruce's manor. I remember screaming at her the day she decided to quit, screaming that Bruce needed me, to which she would reply 'No, Rachel, he has a butler. Babe, he'll be fine without you.' Which, when I think about it now, hurt a lot more than it should of. I guess it hurt, because looking back I now know that it's true. That Bruce didn't need me, and, if I'm quite honest, I'm not sure if he still needs me now, or if he just can't decide which one of his playgirls he wants. That hurts. But then again why am I so bothered about who Bruce is with? I have Harvey and ... Well I know I told Bruce that we could be together when Gotham doesn't need Batman anymore ... Which it doesn't now, but in what world would Bruce ever see that? None. So,it's his own descision whether or not we are together, not that it matters now, because I'm marrying Harvey. Wow ... Marriage. In this modern day and age it seems to bethrown around a lot, which is why I guess it took the right person to propose, I mean, maybe we won't even get married for a while since Gotham's under lockdown, but ... Well, I guess I don't really need to dwell on it now, do I? No, of course not. Worry about Harvey, perhaps Bruce if you're up to it.

I finally get to Bruce's manor after many, many battles with myself as to whether or not I should do this, and for the first time in my life, ever, Bruce answers the door. "Rachel?" He asks, surprised. "_Bruce?" _I ask, even more confused, since when has Bruce _ever_ opened the door himself. He seems to find my shock funny as he lets a glimmer of a rare smile slip, which makes me smile, because I know he really means it when Bruce smiles, I know him like the back of my hand. "We need to talk, Bruce." I sigh gently and just go inside, he doesn't really seem to bothered about this, really, I mean, we've been best friends forever, so why should it be a problem? "I've been waiting for the lecture." He says, completely monotone, which really doesn't surprise me, he's supposedly at mental and physical peak, so where can I fault him at that? Perhaps emotion is a bad thing to have, or at least, express? I don't, and really Bruce, knows either. "Just take off the mask." I fold my arms. "If you really love this city, why are you letting innocents die?" I turn to look at him, spinning on my heels slightly. "Because Gotham still needs me Rachel." He shrugs, he doesn't get it, doesn't get it all, does he? I sigh, frustrated and walk over to him. "No, it doesn't, Bruce, you don't understand!" I expect him to shout back, but he doesn't, he holds my shoulders and kisses me, with so much ... _passion? _Passion I never have with Harvey, but that's because I love Harvey, I do. I do. I do. So why am I wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him back with the same passion?


End file.
